This is an album that hits that sweet spot of being both readily accessible and offering depths that reveal something new with each listen
Fresh Sound Records FSNT719
Tom Ollendorff (guitar); Aaron Parks (piano); James Maddren (drums); Conor Chaplin (bass)
Recorded at Livingston Studios, London on 8 & 9 June 2025
Where in the World is Tom Ollendorff’s third album on Fresh Sound Records after his debut, A Song For You (2021), and second album, Open House (2023), had both impressed. And so does this new album, which presents nine of his imaginative originals in a work of great variety and cohesion.
While writing and preparing for the recording, Ollendorff spent a lot of time listening to and reflecting on the challenging music of Gustav Mahler, who once said: “a symphony must be like the world, it must contain everything”. A sentiment that Ollendorff has clearly taken to heart, telling us: “…I can truly say I have tried my best to express my whole musical world through this collection of compositions”. And it is a wonderful world to share, giving us much to enjoy.
Ollendorff is an exceptional guitarist who can bring a magical, singing tone that will draw a smile to your face, contrasting with a pace and imagination that can leave you breathless. And he is well-served by his compositions, influenced by folk, rock and classical forms. You are immediately attracted by the album’s warm tone and generous brushstrokes that entice, but with repeated and more attentive listening, it is the undercurrents and textures that that draw you in further and encourage you to stay. In his skilled renderings of this sonic world, I was at times reminded of Brian Blade’s and Brad Mehldau’s own writing, conveying cinematic imagery.
His earlier album, Open House (2023), saw Ben Wendel’s saxophone open up new compositional dimensions on a number of the pieces. Here, the addition of Blue Note artist Aaron Parks to the mix feels like another inspired choice. Ollendorff and Parks work beautifully together, continuing each other’s lines; and there are moments of electric joy when their playing seems to merge. James Maddren on drums and Conor Chaplin on bass are long-standing playing partners, most attentive in their flexing support and integral to Ollendorff’s vision. The quartet played a 10-day tour of the UK in 2024 (drummer David Ingamells played the opening two nights) and Ollendorff knew this was a dynamic that he wanted to take into the recording studio and is now here for us all to witness.
The opener, ‘Past Lives’, sets out their stall nicely with a brightly flowing folk-tinged melody over a tapping percussive rhythm, first explored expressively by Parks then Ollendorff. It all merges into ‘Where in the World’, which is only a short piece, but very charming, tracing delicate ripples of guitar and piano notes.
‘Three Bridges’ has a strong, catchy melody that dances through and binds the piece, providing a frame for more intricate explorations under the surface by Ollendorf and Parks with the melody always within reach. When Ollendorf brings it on home, it is with great delicacy as well as musicality. ‘Last Leap’ is a more complex piece driven with some pace by Maddren and Chaplin, setting up searching solos from Ollendorff and Parks, and space for Maddren’s rolling drum interlude. One of the album’s many highlights.
‘Tokyo Waltz’ shows Ollendorff at his most Frisellian on a revolving folk-infused melody. Chaplin’s dexterous bass solo lays down sub-themes, before Ollendorff’s singing guitar then Parks’s piano explore them further, keeping the melody on a quiet simmer, slowly brought to boil. ‘West Lake’ rewards the patient listener; as you wait for the track to unfold, various lines of melody are hinted at. But this is not a simple linear piece; the joy is in the searching. When the melody does emerge, well into the second half of the piece, it is strong and catchy, and you ask yourself “how could I possibly have missed that?” as it is brought to a most satisfying conclusion.
‘Meaningless Mirror’ turns up the volume, where Ollendorff states a simple rock-tinged riff before launching into energetic runs that pick up the pace. Parks slows things right down, announcing first with gentle motifs, then extended exploration, before Ollendorff’s running guitar riff returns. The album finishes with a ballad, ‘Atlantic Angels’, with a sound that just washes over you. Lovely.
This is an album that hits that sweet spot of being both readily accessible and offering depths that reveal something new with each listen. Recommended.
